Loading device for locomotives.



, Patented Aug. 26, i902. G. HOFFMAN.

(Application led May 1, 1902.)

2 sheets-sheet l.

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LOADING DEVlCE FOR LOEOMOTIVES.

(No Model.)

W/TNESSES No. 707,927.` Patented Aug. 26, |902.

s. HOFFMAN.

LOADING DEVICE \FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

(Application med my 1, 1902.5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

ATTORNEYS TU/Nrrno Sintes Arnim OFFICE.

GEORGE HOFFMAN, OF FONTANET, INDIANA.

LOADING DEVlCE FOR LOCONITIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,927, dated August 26, 1902.

Serial No. 105,512. (No model.)

To n/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HOFFMAN, of Fontanet, in the county ot'Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Ooaling Devices for Locomotives, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of a simple, cheap, durable, and efcient device for transferring coal from any elevated storage-place to the tender of a locomotive in an expeditious manner and with a great saving of labor.

It relates to that form of coaling device in which a movable bin or carrier is mounted upon the upper end of a tilting frame fnlcrumed upon its lower end and adapted to receive its charge of coal and then to swing forwardly and downwardly to discharge its load into the tender; and it consists in various features of construction and arrangement of parts for balancing and regulating the move; ment of the carrier and its contents, as will be hereinafter fully described with reference to the drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevation ofthe apparatus, showing` in dotted lines its position for receiving the coal and in fulllines the position for discharging the coal. Fi`g.2 is a plan view on a larger scale; Fig. 3, a front View, and Fig. 4. a detail viewof the end ofthe carrier.

In the drawings, A represents anysuitable framework, mounted upon sills and strongly braced and carrying at its upper end a horizontal shaft B.

C is the carrier or movable bin, which is made of any suitable capacity andis designed to receive the coal from an elevated point either direct from the cars or from a chute and to transfer it in regulated quantities to the locomotive-tender. This carrierbin has at each end a trunnion c, journaled in a bearing carried on the top of a vertical strut-frame D, composed of side bars connected by cross bars and braces, the side bars of which are pivoted or hinged at their lower ends upon substantial metal bearings d on a cross-sill d. One side of the cairiei'fbin is also connected by means of a hinge-joint e to the top of a long vertical strut-bar E, which in turn is pivoted or hinged at its lower end upon substantial metal bearings e, mounted upon a cross-sill l c2 at a somewhat-higher point than the bearings of-the strut-frame D. The difference in the levels of the lower fulcrum of the strutframe D and strut-bar E should correspond to the diierent levels of t-he hinge-points of the upper ends of these members with the carrier-bin. This gives when the bin is swung over to the dotted position a parallel motion to these parts that holds the carrier-bin vertical through its swinging movement and avoids any tilting or spilling of its contents. When the carrier-loin is over the tender, its load of coal is dumped into the tender by two trap-doors F F, forming the bottom of the bin, which doors are simultaneously released to allow the contents to fall. These trap-doors are held closed by spring-hinges ff and close together in the middle automatically after the coal drops. Projecting fromthe ends of these doors are two coincidinglugs Z Z, which are caught and held up against the weight of the coal by a hook-bolt b, attached toa slide b', held in keepers?)2 b2 and connected by a short rod b3 with a crank-arm G at each end of a rockshaft G', the crank-arm being normally held down with the hook-bolt h, engaged with the lugs Z Z', by a counterweight II on the crankshaft. Vhen the load is toube dumped, this connterweightV is lifted automatically by contact'of the arm G with block oo on the frame D to `withdraw the hook-bolt, and the coal then forces open the spring-hinged doors, which immediately close again after the load is discharged, the lugs of the doors forcing back the beveled faces of the hook-bolt and locking again. To regulate the descent of the carrier-bin, I provide a special arrangement of balancing device. It will be understood that whenthe tilting frame, which supports exerts but little leverage on the frame; but when the frame is swung out to the inclined dumping position, as indicated in the full lines of Fig. 1, the leverage constantly increases as the frame moves out. To compensate for this the carrier-bin, is vertical the load of the bin IOO from the outer periphery of the cone to a point near the center, and the cables are so wound upon these drums that when the carrier-frame is vertical the cable is on the part of the groove of largest diameter, and when the carrierframe is at its outwardly-inclined position, where the leverage of the load is greatest, the cable rests on thepart of the drum near the center. I alsoplace on the same shaft a rigidly-attached drum J, on which is formed a similar spiral groove, and on this groove is wound a cable h, which passes over small pulleys 'L' on the top of the stationary frame and then descends and is attached to a 'balanceweight K', guided by keepers at 0 0 on a fixed vertical bar M. This cable h, however, is wound on its conical drum reverselyv to that of the cable g-that is to say, when the carrier-frame is vertical the cable h is resting on the smaller periphery of the drum, and when the carrier-frame is extended the cable is resting on the larger periphery of its drum, so that the pull of the weight is exerting its greatest leverage. By this arrangement of the two cables and conical drums the increased leverage of the carrier-frame when extended is compensated for bya very small balancing-weight, as the leverage of the two drums is compounded. By such arrangement the carrier-bin when loaded will upon the release of the strapbrake move easily and gently outward Without jar or concussion, raising the weight as it moves outwardly, and after the load is dumped the balance-weight brings back the bin with a constantly-diminishing leverage, that also avoids all jar on the return movement. To regulate the movement of the carrier, a strap-brake N surrounds the drum and lies in a groove of the same and is tightened thereupon by a hand-lever O and a keeper with pin P.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide a coal-carrier mounted upon the top of a tilting frame, which carrier also tilts to discharge the load, and I make no claim to this. I am also aware that a parallel-motion transferring device is not new, and I do not claim this broadly.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 5o l. A transferring apparatus comprising a carrier, a tilting frame supporting the carrier at its upper end, aconical compensating drum and a cable connecting the carrier mechanism to the said drum and resting on the smaller circumference of the cone when the frame-is extended as described.

2. A transferring apparatus comprising a carrier, a tilting frame supporting the carrier atits upper end,a conical compensating drum, a cable connecting the carrier mechanism to the said drum and resting on the smaller circumference of the cone when the frame is eX- teuded, a second conical drum rigidly connected to the first-named drum, and a weight and cable passing around said second conical drum and resting on the larger circumference of the drum when the frame is extended substantially as described. n

A transferring apparatus comprising a carrier, a tilting frame supporting the ca rrier at its upper end, a horizontal shaft bearinga pair of conical compensating drums with spiral grooves, cables connecting the same to the carrier mechanism, and another conical compensating drum with cable wound reversely to the first-named and having attached thereto a balance-weight substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination with the carrier and its tiltiiigframe; ofgrooved and conicalcompensating drum with cable and weight, and a strap-brake embracing and lying inside the groove in said drum substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination with the carrier and its parallel-motion supporting-frame; of springhinged trap-doors for the carrier having extended lugs at the ends, a bevel-faced hookbolt, a rockshaft with weighted crank-arm, and a rod connecting the crank-arm to its hook bolt substantially as shown and described.

` GEORGE HOFFMAN. Witnesses:

GEORGE HEINE, W. D. JOHNSON. 

